Gleneara Bates-Pappas, LMSW
2020-2023
The City University of New York
Research interests/goals: Examining patterns and drivers of tobacco treatment engagement among Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino cancer patients and exploring the multi-level barriers for tobacco treatment delivery by examining the unintended and perceived barriers to accessing tobacco treatment.
Mentor(s): Jamie S. Ostroff, PhD

Jennifer Bowers, MA
2017-2020
Stony Brook University
Research interests/goals: Understanding theoretical models of cancer-related behaviors, designing psychological interventions for cancer risk behaviors, promoting cancer detection and prevention behaviors, and understanding the complexities of behavioral factors related to skin cancer and genomic medicine.
Mentor(s): Jennifer L. Hay, PhD; Jada G. Hamilton, PhD, MPH

Laura C. Polacek, MA
2018-2020
Fordham University
Research interests/goals: Understanding the experience of advanced cancer from the perspective of both patients and their informal caregivers, assessing the efficacy of various psychological interventions, and dissemination and implementation of empirically supported treatments.
Mentor(s): Allison J. Applebaum, PhD

Leah E. Walsh, MS
2020-2022
Fordham University
Research interests/goals: Intolerance of uncertainty in current and former smokers who are eligible for lung cancer screening; understanding aspects of and challenges to prognostic understanding between the patient, family, and oncology care providers, with the long-term goal to enhance communication about these topics.
Mentor(s): Allison J. Applebaum, PhD; Lisa Carter-Bawa, PhD, MPH

Amanda Kastrinos, PhD
2021-2024
Research interests/goals: Caregiving and communication experiences of young adult cancer caregivers, with a goal of developing support resources tailored to this age group.
Mentor(s): Allison J. Applebaum, PhD; Smita Banerjee, PhD; Patricia A. Parker, PhD
Post-fellowship position: Research Scholar in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Alexandra Gaynor, PhD
2018-2021
Research interests/goals: Investigating the neural and cognitive effects of cancer and cancer treatments; using cognitive neuroscience methods (EEG, cognitive-experimental task paradigms) to test the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying attention and memory deficits in breast cancer survivors.
Mentor(s): Tim A. Ahles, PhD; James Root, PhD
Post-fellowship position: Postdoctoral research scientist at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center; Assistant Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Montclair State University

Login George, PhD
2017-2020
Research interests/goals: How patients with terminal prognoses psychologically manage the threat of dying and the implications of this for patients’ prognostic understanding, treatment decision-making, care planning, and end-of-life care; how psychological factors may hinder informed treatment decision-making and care planning among patients with advanced cancer.
Mentor(s): William S. Breitbart, MD
Post-fellowship position: Assistant Professor in the School of Nursing & Institute for Health, Care Policy and Aging Research, Rutgers University

Devika Jutagir, PhD
2017-2020
Research interests/goals: Understanding of dissemination and implementation science, psychoneuroimmunology, and psycho-oncology in order to build a strong conceptual and methodological foundation for an independent research career addressing cancer related disparities; reducing disparities in breast cancer outcomes.
Mentor(s): Francesca M. Gany, MD, MS
Post-fellowship position: Assistant Attending Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Malwina Lewicka, PhD
2020-2023
Research interests/goals: Integrating health behavior theory, health communication research, and conceptual factors linking illness risk perceptions with the adoption of protective behaviors; examining correlates of alcohol consumption in women to improve cancer control; evaluating the utility of digital tools for health promotion.
Mentor(s): Jennifer L. Hay, PhD; Jada G. Hamilton, PhD, MPH
Post-fellowship position: Postdoctoral fellowship in the Runway Startup Postdoc Program at Cornell Tech, based at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute

Florence Lui, PhD
2020-2022
Research interests/goals: Development of culturally responsive psychosocial interventions for racial/ethnic minorities in cancer prevention and care through two research programs: culturally and linguistically appropriate psychosocial interventions for limited English proficient (LEP) individuals from cancer prevention to survivorship; and the study of social and contextual factors (e.g., LEP, racial discrimination, minority stress) that impact cancer disparities in underserved populations.
Mentor(s): Wendy Lichtenthal, PhD; Jennifer C. Leng, MD, MPH; Rosario Costas-Muniz, PhD; William S. Breitbart, MD
Post-fellowship position: Assistant Attending Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Chloe Martin, PhD
2018-2022
Research interests/goals: Reducing the lung cancer burden experienced by Blacks in the United States; addressing lung cancer disparities through promotion of smoking cessation in Black communities.
Mentor(s): Jamie S. Ostroff, PhD; Lisa Carter-Bawa, PhD, MPH
Post-fellowship position: Assistant Professor of Psychology at the Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York (SUNY).

Hannah-Rose Mitchell, PhD, MPH
2020-2022
Research interests/goals: Reducing the burden of cancer on the family, particularly the distress manifested from the traumatic nature of cancer, and to improve patient and family caregiver biopsychosocial functioning.
Mentor(s): Allison J. Applebaum, PhD; Talia I. Zaider, PhD
Post-fellowship position: Assistant Professor at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology with a secondary appointment at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Department of Epidemiology & Population Health and Division of Health Behavior Research & Implementation

Kailey Roberts, PhD
2018-2020
Research interests/goals: Provision of psychosocial care for existential distress in the face of cancer, grief, trauma and aging through two developing programs of research on: bereavement risk assessment, and psychotherapy adaptation, evaluation and implementation with older adults and veterans.
Mentor(s): William S. Breitbart, MD; Wendy Lichtenthal, PhD
Post-fellowship position: Assistant Professor in the Clinical Psychology Department at Yeshiva University

William Rosa, PhD, MBE, MS
2020-2022
Research interests/goals: Improving the quality and inclusivity of palliative care for LGBTQ+ patients and their families of choice; support of oncology clinicians by both understanding their experiences in meeting the psychosocial needs of patients with cancer and developing interventions to enhance their personal work-related meaning and mitigate their existential and moral distress.
Mentor(s): Patricia A. Parker, PhD; Wendy Lichtenthal, PhD
Post-fellowship position: Assistant Attending Behavioral Scientist in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Sciences Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Timothy Williamson, PhD
2019-2022
Research interests/goals: Examining relationships between social adversity (e.g., stigma, discrimination, loneliness) and health in the context of adjustment to chronic diseases such as cancer.
Mentor(s): Jamie S. Ostroff, PhD; Lisa Carter-Bawa, PhD, MPH
Post-fellowship position: Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at Loyola Marymount University